Police officers in Windham are finding some relief from their 25 pound duty belts though the new cross over carrier vests that provide space for all of their gear and their bullet resistant vest plates.
A lot of officers were having back
problems, said Officer Matt Cyr. There was discussion about the heavy belts
officers were wearing over their 10 to 12 hour shifts, which included getting
in and out of their cruisers multiple times.
There is a national trend moving toward
this more ergonomic way to carry necessary gear. Traditional officers wear a
bullet proof vest under their dress shirts, this new look puts the vest and the
gear on the chest and back of an officer. If they want to take the vest off
while writing reports in the station, they can do that easier with the new
vests. It’s a way for them to cool down on hot days as well.
When former Chief Rick Lewsen started as
a police officer, he carried a gun, handcuffs and a radio, said Cyr. Now, gear
consists of a flashlight or two, gun, Taser, portable radio, two sets of
handcuffs, rubber gloves, pepper spray, asp (an expandable baton), flashlight,
two magazines, portable radio, tourniquet, Leatherman, audio recorder for video
recorder in the cars, and K-9 officers carry an automatic door opener. Imagine fitting
all of that on an officer with a small waist, Cyr said. All except the firearm
and the maybe the radio moved on to the vest.
“This is an extreme effort to make the
job healthier for police. (Officers) are still approachable and have a friendly
a look as possible,” said Cyr. “We carry all these items to have these options
to keep from seriously hurting someone.”
There are a few different models of the
cross over external vests. One has a zipper down the front another skips the
zipper and uses Velcro. They have many pockets and straps for hooking gear
onto.
“It was amazing the difference,” said
Cyr about transitioning to the vest. The hardest part for Cyr was remembering
where his flashlight was. After 20 years of muscle memory, he had to retrain
himself, he said. “It takes all that weight off the back and waist and uses
different muscle groups. It’s a lot more comfortable.”
“I like them and what the purpose is,”
said Windham’s Police Chief Kevin Schofield. “We’re not trying to say that
we’re becoming a militaristic organization.”
The Federal Government did a study and
asked for solutions to the issue of carrying the duty belt on the hips which
pulls on officers’ backs. It was found that “External vests may be better for
an officers’ health and their backs,” said Cyr.
Windham’s human resources director
Phyllis Moss looked at the health of the officers. Part of her job is to keep
the worker’s comprehensive plan claims to a minimum. She applied for a Maine
Municipal Association grant to cover the costs of the vests. It was approved
and now, each year, the department receives a few more vests for officers who
need them. The vests are replaced every five years.
“My back doesn’t hurt anymore. They are
also awesome in the car. There’s a lot more room and we’re not ripping the car
seat,” said officer Tricia Buck, who was the first to get an external vest last
fall.
The vests are optional at this time, but
Cyr anticipates that most officers will be wearing them in the near future.
“The majority do want these external vests.”
Sgt. Bill Andrew received his external
vest in July. “As far as the admin aspect, it’s easier to back up an officer. I
just zipped it and went,” he said.
Nine officers have the external vests
now and five more will get them through the next grant.
“The biggest message is that the health
piece is the biggest reason for having them. It’s a different look, but we’re carrying
all the same equipment, just in a different way,” said Cyr.
When Windham’s school resource officer
Jeff Smith first starting wearing his external vest, he sent an email out to
the entire high school staff to explain why his uniform was different. “The
staff was not concerned. When we explain why we are wearing them it’s
different,” said Cyr.
The community was also asked on the
department’s Facebook page a year and a half ago about transitioning to an
external carrier and the support was overwhelming, said Cyr.
“We expect that some will be intimidated
by this. We will ask them how they feel about it and explain why (we have them).
People got used to police wearing tools around their belt because it was the
only option they had, it was accepted.
“Society is expecting the street cop to
do more over the years – and rightfully so. They want us to go in immediately
with what we have to stop a person from hurting someone,” Cyr said.
The vests make it so the officers will
have what they need to do their job and keep them healthy enough to do their
job to the best of their abilities.
